Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane celebrates after scoring his goal during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Edmonton Oiler,s Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, in Chicago. The Blackhawks won 4-2. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Welcome back hockey fans. After four straight days of small slates we finally get our first big slate following the All-Star break as there are eight games on the schedule Friday night. Let's jump in and take a look at some of the top picks at each position and then be sure to check out our all-new optimizer tool to go along with our already existing projection system.
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Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 18.53 DK - 4.63
With all the top skaters on this slate and no clear goaltender in an elite spot, I will be taking the value route tonight with an(IMO) underpriced option in Ben Bishop. The win totals aren't where we would like them as he hasn't received much help offensively this season but went into the All-Star break with a 16-12-2 record and a .921 save %. He came out of the break hot as well making all 30 saves en route to a shutout of the Sabres on Tuesday. Tonight, he will be at home again as -135 favorites to the Wild who did go into the break hot but do rank outside the Top 20 on offense overall. Bishop is my top goalie and a great play in all formats.
Also Consider: Matt Murray(PIT) who is a huge -250 home favorite against the Senators and provides big upside facing just over 33 shots per game on the season
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 17.08 DK - 4.97
The Penguins are my top priority tonight as they get an elite home matchup against the Senators who rank dead last in defense and have been even worse on the road allowing over four goals per game. What jumped off the page immediately when analyzing this slate was the price on Malkin on DraftKings as he sits in the low $6K range, $1,500 less than Crosby. Malkin has even out-produced Crosby lately as he comes in with 13 points(3 on PP) in his last 10 games with 31 shot on goal for an average of 4.5 DraftKings/16.1 FanDuel points per game. All things considered, Malkin is a core play for me on DraftKings while I will likely split he and Crosby on FanDuel. My preferred stack scenario would be to stack the top powerplay unit which gives you exposure to all three top lines.
PP Stack with: Phil Kessel, Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 15.99 DK - 4.6
I absolutely love getting exposure to this game on both sides as their previous three meetings have totaled eight or more goals in each. If you can afford them, John Tavares and Auston Matthews are both elite plays with high floors and ceilings but for value, I love Dylan Larkin tonight. He also gives us a high floor with just shy of 22 minutes of ice-time per game while averaging 3.8 shots per game on the season which is backed up by a 17.6 iCorsi/60. The other thing that stands out is that even on a struggling offense(25th overall), Larkin is on pace to set career-highs across the board as he has become "the man" in Detroit. Fire him up in all formats on both sites at a price under $7K.
Stack with: Tyler Bertuzzi, Gustav Nyquist
Also Consider: Matt Duchene(OTT) as another mid-range target who comes in with 11 points in his last 10 games with 31 shots on goal. Perfect for a game stack.
Opponent - BUF
Proj Pts FD - 20.59 DK - 5.97
If you are paying up for one player tonight, Patrick Kane is most definitely in the conversation with the Penguins players tonight. Going into the All-Star break, Kane was arguably the hottest player in league with 21 points over his last 10 games with 44 shots on goal and is now one of just six players with 70 or more points on the season. The Sabres are middle of the pack in defense and were shutout 1-0 in Dallas the other night but before that had given up 27 goals in their previous six games(4.5 per game). He is a player that provides a high floor with elite upside and is worth every dollar in all formats tonight.
Stack with: Jonathan Toews, Drake Caggliula
Opponent - FLA
Proj Pts FD - 17.67 DK - 4.85
Arvidsson is another core player for me tonight, especially in the lineups where I am paying up at goalie. He has been a scoring machine lately with eight goals(9 points) in his last 10 games and it comes on a ton of volume as he has 41 shots in those games. The high floor is something he has provided all season as he enters tonight with a 10.9 shots/60 and 18.1 iCorsi/60 and he now gets a plus matchup against the Panthers and their 29th ranked defense. Fire up Arvidsson in all formats.
Stack with: Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen
Also Consider: Bryan Rust(PIT) as a cheap value play who skates on the top line with Crosby or Brandon Pirri(VGK) who is still underpriced on FanDuel
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 11.27 DK - 3.34
After a slow start to his rookie season(four points in first 12 games in October), Dahlin has come on strong with 24 points in his last 38 games while also averaging over three combined shots/blocks per game giving him a nice floor for the price. His role is increasing and with it is the opportunity as he has averaged over 21 minutes over his last 10 games while skating on the top pairing and second powerplay unit. The matchup also lines up tonight for upside as the Sabres face a Blackhawks team that ranks 29th overall in road defense allowing 3.96 goals per game. At these prices, Dahlin is in play in all formats.
Opponent - OTT
Proj Pts FD - 8.05 DK - 2.33
Justin Schultz is back skating for the Pens but is likely still a week or so away from playing leaving more opportunity for Marcus Petterson. He was traded to the Pens in early December and has seen an uptick in ice-time lately and came through on those minutes with seven points over his last 10 games and while he skates on the third pairing he is getting powerplay time on the second unit. Given the punt price and elite matchup, I love Petterson in all formats tonight.
Also Consider: Kris Letang(PIT) if you have the salary to pay up or Keith Yandle(FLA) as a contrarian option for GPP formats who is 5th overall in poewrplay points with 24 on the season
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